New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-09
LONDON TELLERS AT WORK.
WONDERFUL SKILL IN HANDLING COIN.
VARIOUS FEATURES OF THE SCOTCH AND AMERICAN

VARIOUS FEATURES OF THE SCOTCH AND AMERICAN
BANKING SYSTEMS.
London bank teller always experiences feeling OF
relief when he finds his money close OF
Fridays work. and this feeling usually shared by tho
rest Of the staff who cannot leave the bank until he
either discovers his satisfies himself
actual shortage The great bulk of the shortages mado
across counters in England believed to
on that day. Whether there is any truth in the
superstition concerning Friday being unlucky day
for the teller whether the caused by tho
carelessness which always less the result of
slack day. is open question: The belief is simply
| recorded acknowledged and experienced fact
Next In the order of bad days for the teller cashier
he is designated in London Saturday, but there
the bad luck is Ineligible. Saturday Is wages day. and
has the teller filled his till and loaded up HE
shelves with silver in 25 and S1O bags than the days
| work sets like flood Until IL O'Clock he Is Paying
away with both hands, after that hour II he is receive
ing clerk WELL he begins to receive heavily for Satur
also the last day OF the week and every elects
that the bank should receive his deposits rather than
that he should keep them In his less custody
over Sunday.
In beginning work Saturday the London teller faces
an open mahogany counter, OF which the portion
trolled by probably six feet long by three feet
wide. He likes TO have good square view Of his
customer, and II is OF the canons Of British banking
that the eyes OF the staff shall command the counter.
There is this to be said in defence OF the system II
qlircs considerably more hardihood to perpetrate
swndc in the open view Of English bank than does
at pigeon hole in a fencedin counter, and in addition,
a well trained bank staff accustomed to each OF ers'
ways by long contact, and familiar as well with tho
customers Of the establishments often able to render
valuable aid the teller and the bank for that nattcria
a variety OF ways.
With an open counter the chief clerk also able
to keep the whole field under his eye AZ time and
relieve the overstan at any particular desk The effect
OF the exposed condition Is beneficial too the star the
attend more closely to business while thus. the
eyes OF the public But such an exposed sua de-
mands steady nerve on the pert OF the teller will
sometimes many a score OF customers waiting
time He need. however. only observe the goldei
rule in order to insure correctness No hurry. and
finish transaction before you begin another" His
great temptation will be to endeavor to get rid Of the
without entering them IN mis- money,6ook at the
business In doing this he Is deprivng himself Of almo
the only safeguard against loss
The London teller is probably the quickest manpu
,ator of coin in the world This Is largely owing to the
fact that the smallest note issued in London Is of the
value of sj, $50 When asked for gold IN greater
amount than his eye can count at glance the teller
after counting it quickly with rianoforte action.
throws it with his copper scoop into his faithful scales
aud checks his count The weights Of these scales
are arranged in suitable numbers The teller also
checks the gold which he receives by weight and here h
knowledge Of his business viii be tested one hundred
s0veregns OF full weight rather more, in fact
pc
20 be nearly hair sovereign COR IL per cent short IN
weight, wnilc Que hundred pounds III ordinary half
so'erelSns are sometimes twenty shillinss DOR 1
per cehp snort III value Inc teller can quickly
satisfy himself as to whether the deficiency Is
caused by shortage IN the weight the count by divid
ing the amount and Weighing one molcty against INC
other II they balance evenly the count Is correct and
the difference is due to unierweight II the later ca
ceeIs the average stated tue coin will need 10 be spe
cally examined; there is probably somenlng wrong.
This question OF light gould Is an important one one
large LONDON joint stock bank paid 70 the Bank Of
England $4,000 tsl5O,OO0 for dencient weight in is
gold \ NJ. nr.Lt var
full weight gold by sight The best test Afforded by
reverse II they frayei tn. coin l. unler
weight but If untouched by wear and tear 1t Is fuI
Tne edge of the En- ;lish bank provided with
lip to prevent the coin from rolling over am. aid
the teller IN scoopns mp the MONEY The teller usually
with the hrst two fingers Of b3t hands. simul
taueously; sometimes he uses six fingers. and teller
has been known to count 40 soveregns IN minute
jrkns saiust tino An expert teller Will cou4t ono
han rei podn value 81 silver IN seven minutes When
1t - remembered that the coins are always mixed and
consist OF sixpcnces shidngs, horn> halicrowns and
crowns with never decimal conyenicnc' then'
this will reasonably he considered remarkable feat
fherc Is selection Of coins possible IN such count
minutes. The four fingers OF the teller seize a the CONS
thny com, ami II their action IS bewi.ieuasy quick
promptly assess ant aid up those Ill values o
as to keep pace with the m,chan cal action II the
hands AMI all the time an outlook is kept Tor base
in. 81 which sIch cxper, Will IA throw out
fully half dozen in counting hundred pounds.
The annual los, from wear and tear OF gold coin in
England by OF the absence OF sla n notes ia
Z
places gold % great extent. and IL j. almost rs rare
there here. The scotch teller eNcels in counting
paper money. In handling gold and silver he i alto
gether oehd tie age Gecpng those metals before him
ia ht;, OLD miliiSl piles which would M axe a London
teller shrek with derislon But in lingering bundle ot
notes ne Is KING OF men Placing the packets Hprighs
against is le palm and selling the top corner between
the nn-er AMI thumb Of his right hand he viii turn over
the notes quickly tat ordinary observer Mil be az
entirely deceived by the three-carI trick and viii
twenty. Then. 10 check his count, he viii either
alternate hI hands or placing the horizontally on
same ptrayling speed. NV
TIE scotch counter ia twice as wide "a the London
one; 1t elevated in the and is minus the rim
which facilitates the English teller's dexterty with tLs
cou The scotch teller IN Edinburgh i rallied in lis
domain htc island by itself he is lat AMI comfort.
able and OH he takes no sort OF responsibility except as
will not look At check until the lelgercerk Tar on ia
the corner has conntersgnel it. When You cross The
broad stately plaza ot the inner hall AMI huay accost
him in due form he will hardly let you away lie j. 20
impressed with you and has many things 10 >ay or
conclusion at which yon arrive when yonr know edge q
the principles or English aud Scottish banking A. tier,
Is between tine m'chluch methods in which tLcy carry
TIE American teller is sell contained gou,lolnly and
very much To ne point but he handles his uo.esa
that he - testing or illustrating the value material
OF which they made IS he dolcs them out H. ooss
too aS u he were afraid OF giving you mace, an
undesirable impression.
One great advantage which the Englisi, teller nos.
both the American the Scotch teller lies
Ia the fact that he clean notes ONLY The }anko
England has the exclusive privilege OF note issue in
London ana within radius OF sixty miles r.cht con.
fcrred for certain valuable consideration granite 10 tho
Government IN years gone by All the notes received by
the London teller sent Into the Bank ENGLAND and
they arc not rclssucd The average lie az 4 > ) bank
note Is three weeks, that OF a : 100 bank note
three days-that is the interval between and
return the bank and hnally death rha Bank be t
noted ALWAYS refers in London tn institution tho
Bank or England" The advantage in is>u az clean
is this They are an numbered c0nsccutlyely.
therefore all that the teller has 10 do In recording tho
numbers is I" enter ne rst and the last thus $500
pound notes The smaller numbers represent the
date June - 1881 The London teller has trouble
Of entering tho numbers OF his which neither tho
scotch nor American banks have, but If he gives away
too much either by wrong count or through mistake in